Legoformers: Lego meets Transformers (pictures)

Nintendo 64 Legoformer

For "The Baron" Julius von Brunk, Legos aren't just some ordinary passion. He creates incredible Lego masterpieces that actually transform into characters. His work has been seen at a Nintendo store in New York, on the Discovery Channel and Web sites, and in many major publications.

In this gallery, we've assembled a few of these "Legoformers" (as von Brunk calls them on his entertaining Web site). The collection kicks off with a Lego-fied Nintendo 64. Keep in mind that these elaborate Lego models run nearly to scale and impressively transform without needing to remove parts. These are 100 percent real Lego pieces, with occasional Technic bits and bobs. No glue here, folks.

The Nintendo 64 Legoformer (von Brunk refers to this as the "Ultra Hexacon") will likely knock the socks off any Nintendo enthusiast, as it faithfully mimics the design of the original console and has fun little details, such as controller ports, a cartridge slot, and other touches. Von Brunk created the mock console along with controller and games as part of a submission to the 2013 Instructables Toy Block contest.

Click through the gallery to see this Nintendo 64 -- and other creations such as N64 controller, game cartridges, Game Boy, and Game Gear -- transform.

The most intimidating Nintendo 64 ever

After completely unfolding, the Nintendo 64 Legoformer sports several defenses, including thick armor and an over-the-shoulder missile launcher.

"Ultra Hexacon's first issue was coming up with a transformation cycle that didn't involve the cartridge slot appearing where his ass would be in robot mode, so that games could slide into his chest like Soundwave or Blaster [from Transformers]," Julius von Brunk notes on his Lego-themed Tumblr.

...down to the smallest details

Before we reveal what Tetragon transforms into, check out the rear of this extraordinary Legoformer design. Juilius von Brunk spared no detail in the build, and even went out of his way to use a Technic pneumatic rubber hose piece for the controller cord to ensure that the model is pure Lego. Ultra Hexacon's ammo magazine derives from the Tetragon’s mock memory card.

Scorpion attack!

Upon transforming, Tetragon becomes a scorpion, but that wasn't the original plan during the design process. "Tetragon was originally intended to be an anthropomorphic robot and not an animal, but after days of trying to make a transformation cycle with failed results, I opted to make him turn into a scorpion -- which personally looks a lot more badass yet quirky -- almost like Beast Wars," New York-based Lego artist Julius von Brunk wrote on his Web site.

Her majesty's finest

One of the most beloved games of the 1990s -- Goldeneye 007 for Nintendo 64 -- also gets the Lego treatment. Julius von Brunk originally planned for the game to turn into a gun for Ultra Hexacon, but it ended up being too big. The talented designer even aspired to make the iconic James Bond game into a triple transformer, meaning one that could alternate forms between game, gun, and robot.

Game Man

Once transformed, the Game Boy turns into Domaster, a heroic Nintendobot. Julius von Brunk describes the name as an "amalgamation of Dot Matrix with Stereo Sound," a line of text seen near the Game Boy screen. Along with its ferocious bird sidekick Tetrawing (that transforms from the Tetris cartridge), Domaster makes use of those AA batteries for its imaginary high-tech arsenal. Want to build this geeky set? Check out the Domaster and Tetrawing custom instructions and parts list available at Instructables.

Get in gear

Only the lucky kids had a Sega Game Gear, but I’d certainly take Julius von Brunk's "Gearhead" instead. This Legoformer set incudes a mock version of the classic handheld game console, along with a couple of Sonic game cartridges and AA batteries.

A small army

Meet the final form of the Game Gear trio: Gearhead, Knucklepunch, and Supersonic. Similar to the other cartridges and devices, Julius von Brunk's high-quality printed decals add a touch of realness to each piece. "I first tried using waterslide decals like the Game Boy, then clear address labels. Finally I got adhesive glossy prints made at a local print shop, and they worked," von Brunk said in a comment on Flickr.